“I want to become a professional basket-ball player.”

Mark Piolo is a shy type and quiet before. He barely speaks to his classmates. His teachers were worried that his silence caused him to drift off the class and learn next to nothing. However, every time his written works are evaluated his teachers noted that they were satisfactory if not above average. With constant encouragements from his friends and affirmation from his teachers, Mark Piolo blossoms. Now, he is more confident in expressing himself and sharing his thoughts. He smiles more often now and is more confident about himself. He communicates better too and even leads group activities. Mark Piolo is very determined in achieving his goals. He shows enthusiasm in learning new lessons. He excels in Mathematics. He can easily remember lessons and understand it with ease. He independently works on tasks and finishes answering seat works on time. He enjoys playing basketball. He plays with his friends and classmates in the nearby basketball court on weekends. “It is fun to see him being at ease with other people again!” his mother noted. Mark Piolo is close to his sibling. They help their parents on the household chores. His father is self-employed while his mom is a housewife.

“I want to be a pilot one day because I want to bring my mom to great places not only in the Philippines but around the world.”

Neil is a very smart student. He has been a consistent honor student since kindergarten, ranking second and third in his class. He loves learning! He participates actively in class discussions, asks questions and provides examples to measure how much he understands the lesson. He is also very affectionate towards his teachers and classmates. His teachers have noted his significant improvement throughout the years. Neil used to be very passionate which sometimes resulted to high emotions and frustrations. For a time, his classmates had a hard time communicating with him because he turns to be too defensive. With his willingness to be counseled and with the help of his teachers and classmates, Neil already learned to control his emotions and communicate himself with others. Most of the volunteers and other parents are fond of Neil because he is advanced in speaking English compared to his peers. His teachers even observed that he communicates better using English than in Filipino. His mother attributes this to Neil’s interest in reading only English books and watching English cartoons when he was younger. Neil’s favorite subject is Science. He finds the subject very informative and interesting and enjoys applying it in everyday life. He loves to draw and write too. He really has a creative mind and can quickly think of a concept or idea right away during art class. Neil is an only child. His father used to be a jeepney driver but due to health condition was laid off from work. His mother is a housewife. He is very close to his mom.

“I want to be a teacher because I want to teach children to dream bigger.”

Angelou is a very charming girl. Her teachers share that Angelou used to be very quite in class. Her small voice did not help her in being recognized in class. Her mother shares that Angelou used to be uncomfortable being with the crowd because she thought she will only be misunderstood for her small voice. With persistent coaching from her teachers and encouragement of her parents, Angelou blossomed to be the charming girl she is right now. With her sweet smile, sincerity and noticeable different way of solving problems, Angelou started gaining new friends. She now works well in group activities and started participating in discussion and exchange of views with her classmates. She expresses herself through arts. She also loves to dance. She has been part of the schools ballet class since the first grade.

“I want to become a nurse; I want to help a doctor and other people.”

Ayessa is very cheerful and charming. She always greets her teachers and hugs them. She is also very kind and understanding to her class-mates. Her friends love her because of her genuine smile and gentleness towards them. She enjoys working with them! Her favorite subject is English because she wants to enhance her communication skills. Though she is having a hard time in learning the lessons right away, you can see her determination to learn. Her teachers shares that her willingness to participate in class discussion has also significantly improved. She can now share her thoughts freely and participate in class discussion. It is best to involve her in activities, let her work in a group or on a one-to-one teaching.

“I want to be a police man. I will arrest all the bad guys and bring peace to the community.”

Reniel has three older siblings and he is very close to all of them. On weekends they play basketball and soccer. His father is a hairdresser. They have their own barber shop. While his mom, stays home to take care of them. She helps in finances by selling snacks. He is the sweetest among his siblings according to his mom. Unlike his early years in Mano Amiga, Reniel already gained friends and little by little open up his interests and talents to them, especially in sports. He used to be a loner who preferred to sit at the far corner of the room where he would not have any seatmates to talk to. Now, he is still a little shy but he actively participates in class discussion. He is very observant too. He likes volunteers to share his insights during recitation. He loves Math because he finds it fun to learn. He is good in solving equations and doing basic arithmetic. Reniel also finds Science subject as very interesting, especially when they perform experiment and research. He learns best through activities and hands-on works. He shows great de-termination in his studies.